About Me.
Christopher Jaffe, AM, LCSW, is a Chicago-based social-service innovator, specializing in youth violence prevention. With two decades of experience in the field, he has supported more than twenty organizations to design and implement youth-serving programs at scale.
Christopher has served on the Senior Leadership Team of Heartland Human Care Services, Youth Guidance’s Becoming a Man (BAM) Program, as a subject matter expert for the World Bank and J-PAL, on the Board of Directors of CAASE and UChicago’s Crown School, and has worked with organizations across the US, UK, South Africa, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Netherlands. He holds a master’s degree from UChicago’s Crown School and a BA from DePaul University.
Professional Experience
09/2024 - Present
Program Design and Implementation Consultant
University of Chicago, Crime & Education Labs | Chicago
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Lead development of ECHO – Every Choice Has Opportunity, a large-scale, open-source, evidence-informed, CBT-based youth violence intervention program — directing curriculum design and implementation strategy for national dissemination.
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Design comprehensive training programs for program facilitators, grounding staff development in evidence-based practice and trauma-informed principles.
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Collaborate with academic and community partners on strategic program direction, bridging research and frontline implementation.
09/2022 - 06/2026
Senior Director,
Innovation and Practice
Heartland Human Care Services | Chicago
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Lead strategic business planning and organizational development for multi-site human services agency serving high-need populations.
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Develop new social service interventions in partnership with program leaders — overseeing project management, impact tracking, and outcomes documentation.
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Manage complex multi-budget operations, aligning internal policies and cross-departmental coordination across program sites.
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Oversee agency private fundraising and Board of Directors cultivation strategies to sustain and expand programming.
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Interim Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy (12/2022 - 09/2023)
10/2012 - 08/2022
Senior Manager, Leadership Team
Becoming a Man (BAM)
Youth Guidance, Inc. | Chicago
BAM is one of the most rigorously evaluated school-based CVI programs in the nation. Research by the University of Chicago Crime Lab demonstrated a 45% reduction in violent crime arrests among participants. Christopher served as a senior architect of the program's national growth.
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Scaled program operations from 15 to 150 schools nationally and grew the team from 15 to 200 staff — a 1,200% expansion while maintaining program fidelity and participant outcomes.
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Led national expansion across seven U.S. geographies and directed international adaptation for the London, UK market.
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Managed $15 million annual budget across program sites, maintaining quality standards and evidence-based implementation throughout.
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Developed and delivered training systems for facilitators and program staff at scale, building internal capacity across a highly diverse national team; implemented data-driven performance metrics and tracking systems for program outcomes, fidelity monitoring, and effectiveness reporting.
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Cultivated strategic partnerships with the Obama Foundation, Chicago Mayor's Office, and corporate sponsors (Chicago Bears, Bulls & White Sox) to sustain and elevate program impact.
10/2016 - 04/2026
Lead Implementation Consultant
National & International
J-PAL Africa | Cape Town, South Africa | 2020–2022
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Designed a comprehensive violence-prevention program for youth in Cape Town, adapting evidence-based CVI frameworks for a high-violence urban context.
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Served on Senior Steering Committee alongside government departments and educational institutions, providing strategic guidance on program development and implementation.
The World Bank (eMBeD & EGP) | Lebanon & Jordan | 2018–2022
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Designed youth community violence interventions for conflict-affected populations in Lebanon & Jordan.
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Developed training and implementation strategies for diverse, multilingual populations in fragile state contexts.
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Provided expert consultation on program impact evaluation and data-driven decision-making.
The Bridge Learning Interventions | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2016–2020
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Developed a comprehensive violence-prevention program for immigrant and refugee populations, including staff training and national scaling pathway.
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Prepared organization for randomized control trial (RCT) evaluation and performance measurement — ensuring program design met rigorous research standards.
Mansfield Family Foundation | National | 2024–2026
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Served as Administrative Consultant for private family foundation ($500K in annual gifts), overhauling operations and streamlining grantmaking processes.
09/2007 - 10/2010
Center Director
Mankind Project Chicago, Inc. | Chicago
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Expanded programming and revenue by 100% through strategic planning, business dev., & donor cultivation.
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Led organizational transformation, redesigning operations systems and budget management for a volunteer base of 5,000+ participants.
Board & Civic Leadership
03/2024 - Present
Chairperson, Belding Elementary
09/2025 - Present
Steering Committee
08/2016 - 07/2019
Board of Directors
10/2012 - 07/2019
Board of Directors
Local School Council, Chicago Public Schools | Chicago
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Partner with school leadership to set monthly LSC meeting agendas, and serving as chair of each LSC meeting
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Oversee principal evaluation, monitoring & approval of school budgetary processes, special events, & fundraisers
39th Ward Neighbors United - Independent Political Organization | Chicago
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Co-chair meetings, set legislative agenda, establish committees.
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We are an independent political organization that fights for racial, social and economic justice in Chicago’s 39th ward.
University of Chicago, Crown School | Chicago
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Chair of Alumni Networking and Professional Development Committee
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Coordinating professional development and networking events for University of Chicago Crown School Alumni.
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Developed panel discussion titled “Chicago’s Violence Problem: How Social-Emotional Learning Can Provide Promise for the City.”
CAASE - Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation | Chicago
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Served as Vice President and Secretary of Board, and Board Development Chair.
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Directed Board recruitment, professional development, and orientation
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Led fundraising initiatives including donor cultivation and public engagement events.
06/2004 - Present
Lead Facilitator/Owner
The Father and Son Weekend | Chicago
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Design and facilitate annual retreat focused on leadership and emotional intelligence.
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Lead comprehensive programming including team building, conflict resolution, and professional development activities.
Education & Licensure
01/2020 - Present
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) | State of Illinois
149.021982
09/2010 - 06/2012
University of Chicago, Crown School of Social Work | Chicago
Master of Arts, Social Service Administration (MSW)
09/2004 - 06/2008
DePaul University | Chicago
Bachelor of Arts, Sociology